18 



influences than many supposed. They are first met at 

 Ogden, and at San Francisco occupy exclusively one or 

 more streets. They have their own amusements, includ- 

 ing theatre, etc. ; a visit in their midst, gives one, for a 

 time, the impression that he is in China. 



He noticed the mining towns many of which are nearly 

 forsaken ; the mining regions, and showed how by the 

 process of mining, the soil was forever rendered useless 

 for tillage ; and the parks of big trees, of the latter many 

 figures were given to show their size. Some of these 

 trees are covered with bark thirty-two inches in thickness, 

 while others, of enormous proportions otherwise, run up 

 one hundred and twenty-four feet without losing more than 

 a single foot in diameter. In his estimation most of the 

 trees were not less than ten, eleven, or twelve hundred 

 years old. 



The beautiful and romantic scenery of the Yo-semite 

 valley, which was also visited, he described in a very 

 graphic and interesting manner. 



FLORIDA INDIANS. 



The following extract of a letter from Mary R, Kimball, 

 of Salem, a teacher among the freedmen, dated Apalach- 

 icola, Fla., Dec. 25th, 1871, was read : 



APALACHICOLA, December 25, 1871. 



I have been trying to get some information as to the Indian Mounds 

 in this vicinity, One of the oldest of the ''freed people" came into 

 see me, and said, "I am the oldest man in this place." 



" Well " said I, " you are just the man I want to talk with. ' What 

 do you know about those Indian mounds ? Did they live there, or did 

 they bury in those heaps ? " " No " he said, " I have talked with some 

 of the chiefs, and they told me that they were thrown up for defence ; 

 you will find them about every mile for a long distance. If you could 

 find their graves, you would find buried with them a bowl of some- 

 thing to eat, with a spoon at their head, and a rifle at their side, as 

 they were going to better hunting-grounds than we had here. " ' ' Why" 



